Multicontact switching device.



A. E. LUNDELL.

MULTICONTACT SWITCHING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 22. 1916.

1,246,625. I I PatentedN0v.13, 1917- //71/e/770/ A {(95%) 1f. L nda/,

y A y UNITED srntrns PATENT OFF- on.

ALBEN n. LUNDELL, or new YORK, N. Assienon T0 wnsrnnnnnnc'rnio COMPANY,

moonronacrnn, or new YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION on NEW YORK.

MULTICONTAGT SWITCHING DEVICE.

' Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Nov. 13 191'}' 7 Application filed September 22, 1916.. Serial No. 121,563.

To all to /1.0m. it may concern: V I

Be it known that I, A EN E. .LUNDnLL,

a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of Bronx and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Multicontact Switching Devices, of whichthe following is a full, clear, concise, and exactdescription.

This invention relates to switching devices, and more particularly to electromagnetic switching devices or relays.

In the make-before-break type of relays, it is frequently desirable to lengthen or shorten the interval. between the engagement of the make contacts andthe disengagement of the break contacts, and in the break-before-make type of relays, it is also frequently desirable to lengthen or shorten the interval between'the disengagement of the breakcontacts and the engagement'of the make contacts. In all relays of these types heretofore produced, it has been possible to change the intervals mentioned, but it has been necessary to bend thecontact springs, which requires considerable time, the matter of correct adjustment being very problematical in all cases.

The object of the present invention is the production of a relay which may be used as either a make-before-break or a break-before-make device, the change from one to the other being a very simple matter, and

in which the intervals before mentioned may readily and easily be changed without bending the contact springs.

This invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein Figure 1 is a plan view of a switching device showing one embodiment of this invention; Figs. 2, 3 and 4 are detail views of a portion of the switching device; and Fig. 5 is a perspective of an electromagnetic relay embodying this invention.

Referring to the drawing, an ordinary fiat core type of relay, having a core 5 and winding 6 thereon and an armature 7 mounted upon a back plate 8 secured to the core 5, and having its free end adjacent the forward poleface of the core, is provided with contact springs 9, 10 and 11 supported upon the back plate 8 and insulated therefrom and from one another. The contact springs 9, 10 and 11 extend toward the front of the relay, the springs 9 and 11 being bowed,

so that, by means of adjusting screws 12, 12 1 free ends thereof may be adjusted. The forwardand free end of the armature 7 is provided with contacts 15 and 16 which cooperate with the contact springs 10 and 11, respectively, and contact spring 10 cooperates with contact spring 9 to controlv circuits in which the contacts and contact springs are included. A pin 20, having a tip 21 of insulating material, carried by the armature 7, is adapted to be moved along a slot 22, provided inthe upper arm of the U- shaped armature 7. The pin 20 in the movement of the armature 7 cooperates with con,- tact spring 10 to control the movement of the forward, and free end thereof. If the pin 20 be positioned at that end of slot 22 near the point of support of-the armature 7, the free end of contact spring 10 will have a greater range of movement than engagement with contact spring 9. On the other hand, if pin 20 be in the position shown in Fig. 3, then, upon the same movement of armature 7, contact spring 10 will move into engagement with contact spring 9 before it moves out of engagement with contact 15.

It will be evident therefore that by the proper positioning of pin 20, there may be obtained a relay of either the make-beforebreak or the brealcbefore-make type, and the period between the engagement and dis engagement of different sets of contacts may be varied.

Vhat is claimed is:

1. In a switching device, an actuating member, means controlling the movement thereof, a contact spring controlled by the actuating member, and means carried by and adjustable along the actuating member for varying the range of movement of the contact spring.

2. In a switching device, a contact carry- I rying actuating mernber, a second contact sp i ng to he engaged by the first contact able along the actuating ne nher anchcooperating with the first contact spring ior determining Whether the contact springs engag-amine or after the first contact spring and contact carrying nicni'hef di's'en'gage;

, 3 In a switching device, an armature, an ghetl "for greener-mg "the armatur a icontact 'blrthe' a rifia't ure a contact 'sprlin g norma y in-en agemnm therewith, a se-(26nd contact spring, and? Ineans' carried by kind atlj'ns't'ahle' ial'o'n'g the" armature a'nd edsperating" with the first co'ntact spring for "determining Whether the contact s rings gagenQLfoK-e or afterthe disengagement of the eontaet fan'd first "contact spring.

451111 switching lei ice; a cdnt aetg axso- 6nd "contact normally in enga ement threwith; a thirdfcon'tact adapted-"re befengaged rh eeebnd contact; means controlling en- 'gageiiient' disen agenient "of the 0011- was; and inans" associated with the 1 first mentioned" means" for determining Whether thesec'o'nd and third contacts en' dgetefore of after the first and second eontac'ts "dise'iv sp ring the position of the pin on the armature determining Whether the contact "springs 'engagmbefore or after the disengagement of the contact and the first contact spring, 1 6: 111* 'a' switching L de'i i"ce,j"an' actuating aon'tr Hing the movement H r ag pe=5memberint r-posed between the"actuatinginember and theconta' ct'spring and cooperating therewith for Via j ing the range of 1n'o\ 'einentof the den- 3 -5 tactspring. I a

witness whereof,- I he'renn'to subscribe an name this 19th day of"Sep'te1'nber,'AL'D.

i916. v p

ALBENELUNDELL. 

